


Little Lost Fox

by Leonidas1754



Category: Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: Adventure, Everyone is a fantasy creature, Fantasy AU, M/M, Magic, Self-Discovery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-22
Updated: 2018-10-22
Packaged: 2019-08-05 20:42:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16374680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leonidas1754/pseuds/Leonidas1754
Summary: Neku had been told, over and over, time and time again, ‘Never go into the forest.’ He wasn’t sure why it was so deathly important to remind everyone all the time. There were all the fields where they grew their food, and then a small, grassy plain beyond it, before you could even reach the edge of the trees, so it wasn’t as if you could randomly wander in. Neku had found it was best not to question it, however. Others in the village would only emphasize how dangerous it was. Some occasionally told a story of a boy who had wandered into the forest never to be seen again, but when Neku asked further about it, they said none of them knew the boy. Apparently, it had happened in the time of their grandparents, and Neku figured it might’ve been made up anyways.On the night of the lantern festival, Neku chases his lantern into the forest, and sets off on a journey to discover himself and the truths of magic.





	Little Lost Fox

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do love fantasy AUs. Inspired by random talks in the TWEWY discord I'm in, and surprisingly didn't even think of that enemy that transforms into Neku with a fox mask until halfway through writing it, hahaha. Hope you enjoy!

Neku had been told, over and over, time and time again,  _ ‘Never go into the forest.’ _ He wasn’t sure why it was so deathly important to remind everyone all the time. There were all the fields where they grew their food, and then a small, grassy plain beyond it, before you could even reach the edge of the trees, so it wasn’t as if you could randomly wander in. Neku had found it was best not to question it, however. Others in the village would only emphasize how dangerous it was. Some occasionally told a story of a boy who had wandered into the forest never to be seen again, but when Neku asked further about it, they said none of them knew the boy. Apparently, it had happened in the time of  _ their _ grandparents, and Neku figured it might’ve been made up anyways.

Neku wasn’t originally from this village, but he’d never known any other life. Apparently he’d been found, sleeping on the side of the road, when he was quite young, and had been brought back and raised Shibu Village. It was less of a village and more of a small, incredibly superstitious town, now, but the elders said calling it a village felt more homey, whatever that meant.

To tell true, Neku wasn’t sure what a ‘homey’ feeling was. While the people of the village had of course taken care of him and been kind, he’d never had a family or a home like the others seemed to define it as. He felt like everyone else was at a distance, somehow, as if he were separated entirely.

It was lonely.

It was always worst at the yearly lantern festival. All the families would get together and laugh and play and light lanterns to send into the starry night sky. And Neku… Neku was alone.

Growing up, he’d play with the other young children, but becoming a teenager had its share of hardships, from changes in the body to changes in how they all interacted. And most kids were either pairing off with their romantic partners or congealing in their tight-knit groups, leaving Neku, none particularly close with anyone, alone.

Neku still made a paper lantern. He painted the sides with delicate, swirling designs to mimic the fire it would hold. If there was nothing else good about the lantern festival, it was being able to paint his own lantern. He wasn’t particularly good at it, since he never got to paint outside of this one day a year, but he enjoyed it nonetheless.

Neku walked to the edge of the village, fixing the string to the bottom of his lantern so he could pull it down again. Supposedly it was bad luck to not let one’s lantern go, but Neku kept his every year. Nothing terrible had happened yet, so he figured it was fine.

At the edge of the wheat fields, he lit the wick inside and smiled softly as he saw the glow shine through the paint. Then he carefully lifted it into the air, keeping tight hold on the string. He watched the lantern float up for a few minutes as it started to move over the fields. It was only when a sudden gust of wind came that Neku realized that the string wasn’t properly attached. His eyes widened and he began to run after it, dashing through the fields and taking as much care as he could not to crush the crops while still keeping up with the lantern.

It seemed to continue to move along at a steady clip, even as Neku broke free of the wheat fields and desperately tried to catch up. Still, he stumbled to a stop at the edge of the forest, watching as the lantern floated in. It was drifting among the trees, as if beckoning Neku in.

Neku glanced back to the village, so far away now. Lanterns floated above the gently sloping roofs, and the village itself was filled with warm, inviting torchlight. When he turned back to the forest, all he could see was the gaping maw of the trees. His lonely lantern was an alluring glow, though.

Neku bit his lip. The trees would break up the wind. He wouldn’t have to go very far to get it, and he could come right back. Still, despite his rationale, his heart pounded in his chest. After so many years hearing the stories, it was hard to completely brush them off.

He dashed into the trees a short distance before looking back. He could easily see the village through the trees, and turning away, there was his lantern.

Nothing had happened.

Neku chuckled to himself. He always knew the others in the village were paranoid. He walked further in, following the lantern as it drifted. Once it drifted low enough, he jumped up and caught it.

When he turned around, he couldn’t see the light of the village through the trees anymore.

Neku frowned, lips pursing. That was worrying, but it should be easy to find his way back. After all, he’d traveled in a straight line into the forest, it would be as simple as turning straight around and heading back.

At least, it should have been. Neku found that the more he walked, the denser the trees seemed to get, his only light being the moon, which was steadily becoming obscured with the thickening foliage, and his small lantern, which didn’t reach very far. His heart began to beat faster as panic threatened to overtake him, even as he breathed deeply and tried his best to remain calm. He just needed to keep walking. Even if he’d ended up going the wrong way, there was always an end to the forest. He just needed to find it. Then he’d be able to find his way back to the village.

“Well, well, well, not every day you see a little fox lost in the woods.”

Neku nearly jumped out of his skin, biting back a soft yell as he looked around wildly. When he couldn’t find the source of the voice, he called out himself. “Who’s there? Show yourself!”

There came a low rumble of a chuckle, and movement flashed from the corner of his vision. When Neku turned, he found his eyes meeting glowing yellow ones. In the darkness, he could just barely make it out, but it appeared to be a black cat resting on a tree.

To Neku’s surprise, the voice sounded once more. “What are you doing in here, anyways?”

Neku stared in shock. “Are… Are you talking? But you’re a cat!”

The cat gave a rumbling purr of amusement. “Yes, I’m a cat. You act as though you’ve never seen a magical creature before.”

“Well… That’s because I haven’t.”

The cat tilted its head, seeming surprised. “Is that so..? Well, what are you doing here?”

“I was… I was chasing my lantern,” Neku admitted. After everything that had happened, it sounded pretty stupid.

The cat purred again. “You aren’t the first to come in chasing a pretty light, though usually it’s not a lantern. Where are you trying to go now?”

Neku shrugged awkwardly. “Back to the village?”

“You don’t sound so sure about that.”

“Well… I always thought the rumors and stories were full of crap. But… here I am, talking to a cat, and I’m pretty sure I’m not dreaming.” The lantern was warm in his hands, and the night air cool on the bare skin of his arms and calves. “I should probably get back, though…”

The cat stretched. “Sorry kid, can’t help you there. But there is something I can do. Come here, and hold that lantern up.”

Neku frowned, but did as he was asked, holding the lantern close enough for the cat to touch. The cat leaned forward and touched his nose against it. Neku could feel a strange tingle in his fingers as the lantern started to glow a bit brighter. “What did you do to it?”

The cat settled back. “I enchanted it,” it stated simply, “so if you let it go, it’ll stay at your side, and the light will never go out. You can banish it and bring it back with a snap of the finger, if you’d like.”

Neku’s eyes widened, and he let go of it. True to the cat’s word, the lantern began bobbing gently at his side. He looked back up at the cat, smiling softly. “Thank you.”

“No problem, kid. And one last tip for you; don’t walk into any faerie circles. You still have a chance to make it out of here with your soul still yours, I’d hate to see you lose it.” The cat then stood and walked around the side of the tree, disappearing entirely.

Neku’s heart felt like it had stopped in his chest for a moment. “My… soul?” he asked aloud to no one. Thankfully, he already knew what a faerie circle was, so he wouldn’t have to be paranoid about that as well, and really, everyone knew not to step in faerie circles, but now he knew not to brush them off.

Neku took a deep breath, folding his arms over his chest. While having the lantern floating with him was convenient, he found it had been more comforting in his hands. Still, he started to walk again, hoping to reach the edge soon.

The forest only grew darker and colder, and Neku shivered softly. He wished he had a cloak, or some sort of protection against the chill breeze. It was beginning to feel as if the sun would never come. His legs were aching from walking so far, and he was exhausted.

Suddenly, a light shone between the trees, and despite his exhaustion, Neku darted forward, hope flooding his lungs. When he broke through the trees, though, the hope faded away.

He’d emerged in some sort of small clearing, and the light was coming from a small cottage of sorts. He bit his lip, glancing around the place. He didn’t think anyone lived here, but he was being proven wrong about a lot of things tonight. Hopefully, he wasn’t wrong in hoping they could help him.

Neku gave a few, short knocks on the door and stepped back, waiting. There was a few moments before the door opened, revealing a drowsy-looking young lady with dark hair and red glasses perched on her nose. She looked surprised at the sight of Neku standing there. “Oh… Hi there. Can I help you?”

“Sorry for bothering you so late, but… I was hoping you could help me. I came into the forest and now I’m lost,” Neku explained.

The lady’s eyes widened and she gasped softly. “Oh no… Here, come in, you look cold.”

Neku hesitated, biting his lip. While he definitely wanted to go inside, it would be stupid not to question how dangerous it might be. The lady’s eyes widened as she seemed to realize this herself.

“Ah, it’s… My name is Shiki, and I’m a witch,” she said, holding her hand out to shake. “My love and I just make clothing and such out here, I promise.”

Neku hesitated for a moment before shaking her hand. “I’m Neku. I live in a village beyond the forest.”

“Oh, Shibu Village, really? I go there sometimes, to sell our clothing!” Shiki smiled brightly at him.

Neku frowned. “But I’ve never seen you in the market before…”

“Oh, that’s because I use a special spell, that people won’t remember my face. It’s safer, that way. Your village, they don’t seem to take too kindly to us magic folk.” Shiki turned, calling inside as she walked in. “Eri! We have a guest!”

Neku took a deep breath and stepped inside. Immediately, he felt warmer, and he sighed in relief, closing the door behind himself. Shiki pulled out a seat and motioned for Neku to sit before heading down the stairs at the other end of the room.

Neku took the offered seat and glanced around. It was a homey little place, with a fireplace to one side, bookshelves, and tables covered in papers and fabric. If Neku could describe anything as ‘homey’, this would be it. He turned to watch the stairs for Shiki to come back, likely with whoever Eri was.

Shiki soon came trotting back up the stairs, with a lady with longer pink hair in her wake. “Neku, this is my love, Eri. Eri, this is that boy from the village I told you about before! His name is Neku.”

Eri gave him a smile as she took her own seat at the table. “It’s nice to meet you, Neku!”

Neku frowned. “You’ve talked about me before?” he asked, glancing between them.

Shiki winced. “Ah, well, you see, the last time I visited the village, I noticed you, and that you have some sort of magic in you.”

“But… I’m not magic or anything like that, I’m just a guy.” Neku rubbed his neck.

Eri giggles, waving a hand. “You don’t have to be a magical creature to have magic. Though are you  _ sure _ you’re not magic? You do give a bit of that… aura,” she said, waving her fingers at him.

Shiki tilted her head. “Mhm! Doesn’t he remind you of a fox, Eri?”

Neku blinked. “Huh… That’s what the cat said too.”

“The cat?” Both girls looked to him curiously, Shiki tapping a finger to his lips. “I’d ask if you saw Mr. Mew, but he doesn’t talk.”

Neku raised a brow. “Mr. Mew?”

“My familiar,” Shiki said with a smile. “He’s a fat black cat with white paws and green eyes.”

Neku shook his head. “No. The cat I met was entirely black and had yellow eyes.”

“Oh! You met Sanae!” Eri clapped her hands together. “That must be why you have that lantern, I should have recognized his magic. He’s always been the helpful sort. Kind of. Very cryptic.” She shrugged, casting a half happy, half confused look.

Shiki shrugged. “He’s usually at least kind of helpful, it never hurts to take what he offers.”

Neku nodded. “He also warned me to stay out of faerie circles. He said something kind of creepy about keeping ownership of my soul.”

Shiki rolled her eyes. “There’s only one faerie around here, and she’s not exactly in the habit of hurting random wanderers. It’s still good to look out for them, yes, but really, Hanekoma’s advice is so strange sometimes.”

“Right…” Neku rubbed his neck. “So… You said you go to my village to sell clothes, does that mean you can help me get home?”

Shiki and Eri glanced to one another, looking troubled before Eri spoke again. “We… can’t, actually. You see, the thing is, the forest takes you where you want to go. If you can’t find your way home, it’s because you don’t  _ want _ to go home.”

Neku’s eyes widened. “But… I do, why wouldn’t I?”

“I’m not sure. Maybe your curiosity is overpowering wanting to go home,” Shiki mused, “You can counter the forest’s magic if you have enough of your own, but if you don’t… Well…”

Neku looked away, frowning. Well… That might explain the paranoia. Though if no one had ever come back, how would they know about the magic? “There was apparently a kid that wandered in and got lost too, I always thought they made it up, but it might be… But that was way, way long ago. They’re our grandparents, and it apparently happened when their grandparents were kids.”

Shiki shrugged. “Who knows. Time works strangely here as well. I guess my recommendation would be to keep exploring, to satisfy your curiosity. Who knows, maybe you’ll find him out there! But really, you should stay the night and get some rest.”

“If that’s okay with you, really.” Neku nodded.

Eri clapped her hands. “Of course! You can borrow the hammock downstairs. We’ll probably be up the rest of the night anyways. I’ve got an idea, and we certainly won’t let you leave without  _ something _ to protect yourself.

Neku frowned. “But I don’t have anything I could give you in return. And I’m not sure I like the idea of being in debt to witches…”

Eri laughed. “Smart boy. But don’t worry about it, consider it a gift. It’ll be something relatively simple, after all, with the limited time we’ll have.”

Shiki nodded. “Mhm! It’ll mostly be basic, protection from cold and rain. Are you really going to say you wouldn’t want it?”

Neku considered the walk through the forest before, and how cold he’d gotten. “... Alright, fine. Thank you,” he said awkwardly.

Shiki stood and passed Eri a piece of paper and a quill before turning to Neku. “Come on, then, I’ll show you where you can take a nap.”

Neku stood and followed her downstairs. This room was filled with a bed, a hammock, a large wardrobe, and shelves filled with books and neatly folded fabrics. “You guys really like making clothes, huh?”

“Heh, I guess you could say that. Here, there’s already a pillow and blanket inside, and don’t worry about us making something for you, okay? Really, Eri’s just not one to let an idea go to waste,” Shiki said with a soft laugh.

Neku shrugged awkwardly. “Yea, well… Thanks.” He climbed into the hammock, pulling the blanket over himself.

He could hear Shiki go back upstairs, leaving him alone. It gave him more time to think on the mess he’d gotten himself into. He thought that he wanted to go home, but was that really the truth? Maybe Shiki was right, and he was more curious about what was going on in the woods. He wondered how many others were out there, what kinds of others. Faeries, magical animals, maybe even a dragon. Excitement bubbled up in spite of him, and he closed his eyes, snapping his fingers to make the lantern disappear.

Neku woke to the sound of voices, not only Shiki and Eri’s, but others as well. One sounded like another woman, and a man. Neku carefully pulled himself out of the hammock and creeped his way up the stairs, peeking up.

There were two other people there, a woman who looked a bit older than Shiki and Eri, who had darker pink hair and wings that seemed to shimmer in the morning light filtering through the window. The man had orange hair and wore a long robe, but when Neku looked away, he could have sworn he caught a glimpse of tails, perhaps, though they disappeared again when Neku looked directly at him.

Neku slowly stepped up into the room and conversation halted as everyone turned to him. The two newcomers seemed surprised, but Eri quickly stepped in. “Ah, Kariya, Uzuki, this is Neku! He’s from that village outside the forest, he wandered in and got lost. Neku, this is Uzuki, she’s the faerie I mentioned before, and this is Kariya, he’s… I actually don’t know what you are, still,” Eri said, frowning at him.

Kariya chuckled. “It’s not important.”

Uzuki raised a brow. “This little furball? Not much to him.”

Neku frowned. “Right… I should probably head out. Thank you for letting me stay the night.”

“Oh, leaving so soon?” Shiki asked, standing from her safe. “Well, here, we made you this cloak,” she said, moving to the table. She picked up a long, white garment.

Neku took it, looking it over in awe. The fabric was white, but it seemed to be interwoven with golden and red threads that seemed to shimmer and shift over the white expanse. They formed a strange pattern on the back, but Neku couldn’t place it.

Carefully, he pulled the cloak on, then smiled softly at Shiki. “Thank you, really, this looks beautiful.”

Kariya chuckled. “Fits you. I might have something that would go well with that…” He reached within his cloak, rummaging around. Then he pulled out what appeared to be a half-mask. It reminded Neku of a fox, pure white with red accents. Kariya held it out for Neku. “Here. Take it. Not like I need it.”

Neku frowned, cautiously taking it and looking it over. It seemed like a normal, lightweight wooden, painted mask. “Er… Thanks.”

“No worries. You’ll do fine out there, so long as you have half a mind about it. Just try not to do anything stupid.”

“Right…” Neku pulled the strap of the mask over his arm, moving under his cloak. “So I guess I’ll be going. Thank you for everything, again.”

“Be sure to visit!” Eri said, holding out a small bag for him. She rolled her eyes when he gave her a questioning look. “A bit of food and some water for your travels. I’d rather not see you starve. And don’t worry about it,” she said before forcing it against his chest.

“Alright, alright, jeez.” He pulled the bag under the cloak, up his arms o it was resting on his shoulder.

Uzuku snickered. “I swear, you two are acting like you’re taking care of a tiny kitten.”

“I’m not a kitten!” Neku bit, turning with a sweep of the cloak. “I’m going. I’ll… Come back later. Tell you what kind of things I’ve found,” he said awkwardly.

Shiki giggled. “Of course, we’ll be more than happy to hear about your adventure. See you later!”

Neku nodded before walking out the door. He could hear Uzuki and Eri launch into some conversation about clothing. Neku was thrown off by that entire conversation, and with so many unknown people, he felt ill at ease. He took a deep breath and stepped into the forest once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A JoshNeku fic that isn't a slow burn where Joshua doesn't even appear in the first chapter. Whoops. He will appear in the second I promise. Mostly because I'm only planning on having this have three chapters at most.


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